K V Thangkabalu quits after finishing off Congress

CHENNAI: In the run up to the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Congress was at war with ally DMK, over the developments in 2G scam, and with itself, as TNCC members had an open feud. On verdict day, TNCC was left with the bitter harvest, being reduced to a mere five MLAs in the state assembly, down from 34, and triggering the resignation of TNCC president KV Thangkabalu. Congress had contested 63 seats but the results left it devastated.

Thangkabalu said that he accepted “moral responsibility” for the defeat and that it would not be right to blame any one constituent for the defeat of the coalition in Tamil Nadu. He said it was his personal decision to step down. The TNCC president had filed papers from the Mylapore constituency as a dummy candidate for his wife, and then became the official candidate after his wife’s candidature was rejected on technicalities. Critics in Congress alleged it was a ploy to get himself a seat. He, however lost to AIADMK’s R Rajalakshmi by a margin of over 29,000 votes.

The scale of Congress’ devastation was also reflected in the defeat of Congress Legislature Party deputy leader D Yashoda, who lost by over 40,000 votes to AIADMK’s R Perumal in Sriperumbudur.

Reflecting the mood in the TNCC, some Congress workers in Coimbatore burnt an effigy of Thangkabalu, accusing him of ineffective leadership and holding him responsible for wrong candidate selection.

Thangkabalu had expelled 19 members in April, following which some of them, including former deputy mayor of Chennai, ‘Karate’ R Thiagarajan and actorpolitician SV Shekar, had taken up cudgels against the TNCC chief.

Some Congressmen are stunned by the party’s defeat in Tamil Nadu. “It seems the people want a change every five years, irrespective of performance,“ Congress MP SS Ramasubbu told ET. He said, “some reformation is required in the Congress party and we need to develop the party in every district.”